Leviticus 23:33–44

The Festival of Tabernacles

23:33–43pp—Nu 29:12–39; Dt 16:13–17

³³The Lord said to Moses, ³⁴“Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh^z month the Lord’s Festival of Tabernacles^a begins, and it lasts for seven days. ³⁵The first day is a sacred assembly;^b do no regular work.^{c 36}For seven days present food offerings to the Lord, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly^d and present a food offering to the Lord.^e It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work.

³⁷(“ ‘These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing food offerings to the Lord—the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings^f required for each day. ³⁸These offerings^g are in addition to those for the Lord’s Sabbaths^h and^e in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offeringsⁱ you give to the Lord.)

³⁹“ ‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival^j to the Lord for seven days;^k the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. ⁴⁰On the first day you are to take branches^l from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees^m—and rejoiceⁿ before the Lord your God for seven days. ⁴¹Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. ⁴²Live in temporary shelters^o for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters ⁴³so your descendants will know^p that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’ ”

⁴⁴So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed festivals of the Lord.